‘Don’t know any different, being from the country’: Turf questions after second Pies training injury
Collingwood boom recruit Lachie Schultz says he has no problem with the surface at Victoria Park after another teammate injured himself at the temporary training base and premiership Magpie Pat Lipinski left the field early on Monday after rolling his ankle during a drill.
Lipinski went down only three days after key forward Dan McStay suffered an ACL tear during training that will likely rule him out of the entire 2024 season.
McStay had only just returned to pre-season training after overcoming the medial ligament strain in his other knee that ruled him out of the grand final.
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Collingwood is set to train at Victoria Park until after Christmas as resurfacing works are carried out at its Olympic Park home base.
Schultz said Magpies players had no concerns about training at their spiritual home, which hosts AFLW games but is open to the public and their pets to use during the week.
“I just spoke to (Lipinski) before – he just said he went over on his ankle … so he’ll be fine,” Schultz told reporters on Monday.
“I’ve got no problems with (the surface) at all. The club’s happy with where it’s at, and we’re happy with where it’s at.
“I don’t know anything different, being from the country grounds up in Echuca, so it’s good.”
Schultz said McStay’s likely absence for the whole season was a heavy blow for the side but expressed his “full confidence” in his potential replacements at full-forward.
The Magpies could turn to a player via the supplemental selection period (SSP) but also have Ash Johnson, injury-prone Nathan Kreuger and premiership full-forward Billy Frampton who could be given first crack at the position next season.
“It’s a huge loss, losing Dan. It’s disappointing for him, but we’ll wrap our arms around him and as you said, we’ve got great coverage out there,” Schultz said.
“I’m looking forward to playing alongside all those boys at some stage and I’ve got full confidence in whoever it is to come in and play that role.”
Schultz, whose move was arguably the biggest surprise of the trade period after leaving Fremantle in exchange for pick 34 and a future first-round selection, said the chance to play with veterans Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom was another key reason for his switch to the Pies.
“I think (I’m excited to play with) the whole team, but if you look at those guys like Pendles and Steele, you watch those guys growing up and admire everything about them,” he said.
“So the opportunity to play alongside those guys, and then I’ve always admired the way Jamie (Elliott) goes about it as a small forward – I’ve always looked at him as a bit of a role model.
“At the same time, Bobby (Hill) is at the peak of his powers and he’s only going to get better, so being able to play in a forward line alongside him and Beau McCreery and all those guys is just super exciting.”